President Joe Biden has nominated the current U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. CQ Brown, to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“I have the honor of introducing my nominee to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. CQ Brown Jr.,” said Biden during an announcement at the White House, May 25. “General Brown is a warrior descended from a proud line of warriors. His father, a U.S. Army Col. CQ Brown, served in Vietnam; his grandfather U.S. Army Master Sgt. Robert E. Brown Jr. led a segregated unit in World War II.
“As a command pilot, General Brown brings to this role more than 3,000 hours of flight experience, including 130 combat hours. He knows what it means to be in the thick of battle, and how to keep your cool when things get hard,” the president continued.
If his nomination is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, he will succeed Army Gen. Mark Milley, who has served as chairman since October 2019.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is highest ranking military person in the United States, and serves as an adviser to the president.
Brown has served as the Air Force chief of staff since 2020, the first African American service chief. The U.S. Senate confirmed his nomination by a vote of 98-0. Prior to becoming chief of staff, he served as commander of Pacific Air Forces – the air component of for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
“Over the past three years, as chief of staff of the Air Force, General Brown has become known for his signature approach: Accelerate, Change or Lose!” said the Biden. “To keep the American people safe, prosperous and secure, we have to move fast, and adapt quickly. We have to maintain a combat credible force, capable of deterring and defeating any potential threat. And we have to manage our competition with China, and meet the reality of renewed aggression in Europe.”
Brown was commissioned in 1984 as a distinguished graduate of the ROTC program at Texas Tech University.
He has served in a variety of positions at the squadron and wing levels, including multiple assignments to the U.S. Air Force Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., as an F-16 Fighting Falcon instructor from September 1992-October 1994, and serving as the commandant from July 2005 to May 2007.
His notable staff tours include Aide- de-Camp to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force; Director, Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff Executive Action Group; and Deputy Commander, U.S. Central Command. He also served as a National Defense Fellow at the Institute for Defense Analyses, Alexandria, Va.
The normally reserved Brown made headlines in 2020 following the death of George Floyd.
The general released a very personal video, appearing in uniform, saying he was “full with emotion” for “the many African Americans how have suffered the same fate as George Floyd.”
He recalled his times as being one of the only African Americans at his school, and often the only African American in his military unit, and in leadership.
“I’m thinking about the pressure I felt to perform error-free, especially for supervisors I perceived had expected less of me as an African American. I’m thinking about having to represent by working twice as hard to prove their expectations and perceptions of African Americans were invalid,” he said.
“I can’t fix centuries of racism in our country, nor can I fix decades of discrimination that may have impacted members of our Air Force,” said Brown in the video. “I’m thinking about how I can make improvements personally, professionally, and institutionally, so that all Airmen, both today and tomorrow, appreciate the value of diversity and can serve in an environment where they can reach their full potential.”
The president urged the Senate to confirm Brown, “CQ is a fearless leader and an unyielding patriot … I urge the Senate to confirm General Brown,” the president said.
However, Brown’s nomination could join the more than 200 general officer nominations currently held up in the Senate.
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., has placed in indefinite hold on all general officer nominations in protest against DOD’s reproductive health policies. The new DOD policies, implemented following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe Vs. Wade and the subsequent state level bans on abortion, allows for the military to authorize leave and travel for service members how must travel out of state to receive treatment. Critics say the hold will have serious consequences for national security, but Tuberville seems determined to continue the hold until DOD changes its policies.
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